Effect of Partner Loss on Oxytocin Measures in the Social Brain of Monogamous Coyotes

Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that is important in social behavior and in the formation of pair bonds between mates. One study found that oxytocin receptor levels in monogamous female prairie voles were lower in animals which had been separated from their mate for some time. In order to further study oxytocin\u27s importance in social bond formation and to test for any possible effects partner loss could have on oxytocin in the brain, I conducted a study on monogamous female coyote brain tissue. Four brain specimens were examined from paired female coyotes, while three brain specimens were examined from widowed female coyotes. After completing autoradiography with a radioligand specific to oxytocin receptors, I developed film images which depicted the density of oxytocin receptors in the brain. I quantified the binding densities from different brain regions (that are important in social behavior and reward) for each coyote subject. After analyzing the data, I conclude that partner loss did not have a significant effect on oxytocin receptor measures in the studied brain regions

Research and Design of a High L/D Aircraft

This senior design team, consisting of Blake Ashby, Shelly Barlow, Greg Nielson, Deryl Snyder, and Chris Wright, designed, built, and flew an airplane that met the requirements of the Cessna/ONR Student Design/Build/Fly Competition sponsored by AIAA. This radio-controlled airplane was designed to fly the most laps around a course in seven minutes using only 2.5 pounds of NiCad batteries. A total of three senior design teams from Utah State University designed separate airplanes. Though all three teams designed, built, and tested complete airplanes, each emphasized a different aspect of a successful entry. This team emphasized theoretical and numerical analysis in order to build an aerodynamically clean and efficient airplane. The other teams stressed motor/propellor efficiency and electronic speed control. This team\u27s airplane represented the university at the contest in Wichita, Kansas on April 25, 1998

RECRUITING SALES STUDENTS: THE VALUE OF PROFESSIONALS IN THE CLASSROOM

It can be difficult for employers to recruit sales students because of the supply/demand gap. This is true despite increases in university sales education programs. This study investigates the impact of a sales organization representative giving an in-class presentation about student intent to pursue employment at the organization. The results indicate that a quality in-class presentation can improve students’ desire to work for the organization, but an average in-class presentation or shorter extracurricular presentation had no positive effect. These results imply that an in-class presentation should be taken seriously and done well in order to positively impact the recruitment process

Comparing L-368,899 and ALS-III-61 as Human-Selective Oxytocin Receptor Antagonists

Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that influences social behavior in animals and humans. One way to test the effects of oxytocin on social behavior is by blocking oxytocin receptors (OXTR) with an antagonist. The commercially-available OXTR antagonist L-368,899 (the “Merck compound”) is commonly used for such studies despite inadequate evidence of its affinity and selectivity for OXTR in the brain. The Freeman Lab has used the custom-synthesized antagonist ALS-III-61 (the “Smith compound”), which has high specificity and affinity for OXTR in the brain but is not commercially available. Due to our diminishing supply of the Smith compound, we sought evidence that the Merck compound has similar pharmacological properties as the Smith compound. We performed competitive-binding autoradiography to quantify the binding affinities of these two antagonists in competition with 1) the OXTR radioligand, 125I-ornithine vasotocin analog, and 2) the vasopressin 1a receptor (AVPR1a) radioligand, 125I-linear vasopressin antagonist. Autoradiography was conducted using previously mounted 20-micron sections of human brain tissue from the substantia nigra (source of OXTR; n=5) and the primary visual cortex (source of AVPR1a; n=5). We co-incubated six series of adjacent brain tissue sections from each specimen in increasing concentrations of the Smith and Merck antagonists with a constant radioligand concentration. After quantifying the receptor densities across our binding conditions, we generated competition curves, which demonstrated that as the concentration of the antagonist increases, the binding density of the radioligand decreases. Our data shows that the Merck compound has a slightly higher affinity for AVPR1a than OXTR. We also confirmed that Smith compound has a higher binding affinity to OXTR than does the Merck compound and a better binding selectivity to OXTR over AVPR1a. With such results, we recommend against using the Merck compound (L-368,899) as an OXTR-specific antagonist. Due to some unexpected assay results, we intend to replicate this study to confirm our findings. Presentation Time: Thursday, 2-3 p.m

Structural correlations in heterogeneous electron transfer at monolayer and multilayer graphene electrodes

As a new form of carbon, graphene is attracting intense interest as an electrode material with widespread applications. In the present study, the heterogeneous electron transfer (ET) activity of graphene is investigated using scanning electrochemical cell microscopy (SECCM), which allows electrochemical currents to be mapped at high spatial resolution across a surface for correlation with the corresponding structure and properties of the graphene surface. We establish that the rate of heterogeneous ET at graphene increases systematically with the number of graphene layers, and show that the stacking in multilayers also has a subtle influence on ET kinetics. © 2012 American Chemical Society

Bone Density, Microstructure and Strength in Obese and Normal Weight Men and Women in Younger and Older Adulthood

Obesity is associated with greater areal BMD (aBMD) and is considered protective against hip and vertebral fracture. Despite this, there is a higher prevalence of lower leg and proximal humerus fracture in obesity. We aimed to determine if there are site‐specific differences in BMD, bone structure, or bone strength between obese and normal‐weight adults. We studied 100 individually‐matched pairs of normal (body mass index [BMI] 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2) and obese (BMI >30 kg/m2) men and women, aged 25 to 40 years or 55 to 75 years. We assessed aBMD at the whole body (WB), hip (TH), and lumbar spine (LS) with dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA), LS trabecular volumetric BMD (Tb.vBMD) by quantitative computed tomography (QCT), and vBMD and microarchitecture and strength at the distal radius and tibia with high‐resolution peripheral QCT (HR‐pQCT) and micro–finite element analysis. Serum type 1 procollagen N‐terminal peptide (P1NP) and collagen type 1 C‐telopeptide (CTX) were measured by automated electrochemiluminescent immunoassay (ECLIA). Obese adults had greater WB, LS, and TH aBMD than normal adults. The effect of obesity on LS and WB aBMD was greater in older than younger adults (p < 0.01). Obese adults had greater vBMD than normal adults at the tibia (p < 0.001 both ages) and radius (p < 0.001 older group), thicker cortices, higher cortical BMD and tissue mineral density, lower cortical porosity, higher trabecular BMD, and higher trabecular number than normal adults. There was no difference in bone size between obese and normal adults. Obese adults had greater estimated failure load at the radius (p < 0.05) and tibia (p < 0.01). Differences in HR‐pQCT measurements between obese and normal adults were seen more consistently in the older than the younger group. Bone turnover markers were lower in obese than in normal adults. Greater BMD in obesity is not an artifact of DXA measurement. Obese adults have higher BMD, thicker and denser cortices, and higher trabecular number than normal adults. Greater differences between obese and normal adults in the older group suggest that obesity may protect against age‐related bone loss and may increase peak bone mass